Study of porous glass doped with quantum dots or laser dyes under alpha irradiation

We demonstrate that nanocomposite materials based on semiconductor quantum dots have potential for radiation detection via scintillation. While quantum dots and laser dyes both emit in the visible range at room temperature, the Stokes shift of the dyes is significantly larger. The scintillation output of both systems was studied under alpha irradiation and interpreted using a combination of energy loss and photon transport Monte Carlo simulation models. The comparison of the two systems, which allows the quantification of the role played by the Stokes shift in the scintillation output, opens up exciting possibilities for a new class of scintillators that would take advantage of the limitless assembly of nanocrystals in large, transparent, and sturdy matrices.